Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Extracts Comparative Analysis Regarding Their Phytonutrient Profiles, Antioxidant Capacity along with the In Vivo Rescue Effects Tested on a Drosophila melanogaster High-Sugar Diet Model

Abstract

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) have been reported to hold a plentitude of health-promoting properties beyond basic nutrition, mainly attributed to their anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. In this article, we built the phytochemical profile of three wild bilberry fruit extract formulations (aqueous, methanolic, and hydro-methanolic) using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS putative analysis, identifying 88 individual phytochemicals, mainly flavonoids (total content 8.41 ± 0.11 mg QE/g dw), free amino acids, polyphenols (total content 21.68 ± 0.19 mg GAE/g dw), carboxylic acids, and vitamins. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the extract was assessed, reaching 78.03 ± 0.16% DPPH free radical scavenging activity, comparable to literature values determined for bilberry extracts of other origin. Due to the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and based on the reviewed benefits of bilberries, we tested the most potent formulation of our bilberry extracts in this biological context. The in vivo rescue effect of a bilberry extract supplemented diet on Drosophila melanogaster was assessed by monitoring biochemical and genomic markers. Hemolymph trehalose levels were halved upon addition of 3% hydro-methanolic bilberry extract to a high-sugar (1.5 M sucrose) diet, as compared to the non-supplemented high-sugar diet. Noteworthy, the rescue seen for flies kept on the bilberry extract supplemented high-sugar diet appeared to parallel the trehalose levels observed in the case of the control diet (50 mM sucrose) flies. Moreover, next to the trehalose-lowering type of in vivo effects, other gene expression related rescues were also detected for genes such as InR, Akh, AstA, AstC, Irk, Npc2g, and CCHa2 upon supplementation of the high-sugar diet with our hydro-methanolic bilberry fruit extract. Our findings suggest that such a bilberry fruit extract could generate physiological and genomic type of compensatory mechanisms so that further translational approaches would advance the understanding of some human specific pathological conditions.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Heritiera littoralis Fruits on Dextran Sulfate Sodium- (DSS-) Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Suppressing NF-κB Pathway

“…Thereafter, the two filtrates were combined in a container and then evaporated to 100 mL. Finally, the fruit extracts were stored in a refrigerator at a concentration of 1 g/mL for subsequent animal experiments [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Detailed investigation of the composition and transformations of phenolic compounds in fresh and fermented Vaccinium floribundum berry extracts by high‐resolution mass spectrometry and bioinformatics

“…For these reasons, blueberry is often referred to as a "superfruit." The composition of phenolic compounds in North American and European blueberries has been widely studied 9,10 . Ancillotti et al 11 .…”

Andean Blueberry of the Genus Disterigma: A High-Resolution Mass Spectrometric Approach for the Comprehensive Characterization of Phenolic Compounds

“…For these reasons, blueberries are often referred to as "super-fruits". At present, the composition of blueberries from North American and European regions has been widely investigated [4,14,15]. In a recent study by Ancillotti et al [2], the polyphenol composition of cultivated V. corymbosum and wild V. myrtillus and V. uliginosum were evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass Freeze-dried berries were extracted as previously reported with slight modifications [22].…”